Offshore gambling sites are using the tennis grand slam tournament Australian Open to illegally promote their services to bettors, according to The Guardian.
Regulators and industry groups have raised concerns about the growth of offshore platforms, which operate outside Australian law and offer no protection to players.
One unlicensed online casino, Vegastars, recently offered front-row Australian Open tickets as a promotional tool. It attracted thousands of social media interactions, including comments from Australian Instagram users. It also used the Australian Open logo despite no affiliation with the tournament.
At least three other illegal sites were found to have used tournament branding or player images in their marketing, and an additional 10 reportedly advertised Australian Open-themed offers.
